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ADDRESSES 


MADE  AT  A  SUPPER  TO 

MR.  AM)  MRS.,  EDWARD  J.  de  COPPET 

AND 
THE  FLOPiZALfeY  QUARTET 

NEW  YORK,  MARCH  NINTH,   19  4 

AT  SHERRY'S 


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Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

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At  the  Guest  Table,  from  Left  to  Right: — Mr.  d'Archambeau;  Mr.  K: 
Mrs.  de  Coppet;  Mr.  Holt;  Mr.  de  Coppet;  Mrs.  Schelling;  Mr.  Ara; 
Mrs.  Kneisel. 


el;  Mrs.  Sveceiiski;  Mrs.  Bauer;  Mr.  Delano;  Mr.  Betti ;  Mr.  Schelling; 
I.    Pochon ;    Mrs.    Whitman;    Mr.    Svecenski ;    Mrs.    Holt;    Mr.    Wilson; 


ADDRESSES 

MADE  AT  A  SUPPER  TO 

MR.  AND  MRS.  EDWARD  J.  dh  COPPET 

AND 
THE  FLONZALEY  QUARTET 

NEW  YORK,  MARCH  NINTH,    1914 

AT  SHERRY'S 


PRIVATHLY  PRINTED 


ML  'ltc> 


PREFATORY 

On  the  evening  of  March  9th,  1914,  the  Flonzaley 
Quartet  completed  its  tenth  season  in  New  York  at  a 
concert  given  in  Aeolian  Hall. 

In  acknowledgment  of  the  distinguished  services  ren- 
dered to  the  cause  of  chamber  music  by  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Edward  J.  de  Coppet  in  founding  the  Quartet,  an 
invitation  was  extended  to  them  and  to  the  members  of 
the  Quartet  to  attend  a  supper  immediately  after  the 
concert.  More  than  two  hundred  musicians  and  music 
lovers  assembled  at  Sherry's  to  do  honor  to  the  guests 
of  the  evening,  in  the  course  of  which  presentations 
were  made  of  a  silver  tankard  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  de  Cop- 
pet,  and  gold  watches  and  fobs  to  the  members  of  the 
Quartet. 

After  the  supper,  Mr.  Henry  Holt  presided  as  Toast- 
master,  and  the  following  addresses  were  delivered. 


5ri<J44B 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

Mr.  Henry  Holt,  Toastmaster 

Opening  Address 7 

Reading  of  Telegrams 18 

Closing  Address 36 

Mr.  Edwin  T.  Rice 

Address 10 

Presentation  of  Cup 14 

Mr.  Julian  Tinkham 

Address,  and  reading  of  Letter  from  Mr.  De  Coppet     15 

Mr.  Nelson  S.  Spencer 

Address,  and  presentation  of  watches  to  Quartet    .      19 

Mr.  Ugo  Ara 

Address 20 

Mr.  Louis  Svecenski 

Address 25 

Prof.  Edmund  B.  Wilson 

Address 31 

Mr.  John  Jay  Chapman 

Poem 34 


A  SUPPER  TO 
MR.  AND  MRS.  EDWARD  J.  de  COPPET 

AND 

THE  FLONZALEY  QUARTET 

March  Ninth,  igi4 

at  Sherry's,  Fifth  Avenue  and  Forty-fourth  Street 

Mr.  Henry  Holt,  Toastmaster 

Mr.  Holt: 

Ladies  and  Gentlemen:  Mr.  de  Coppet  has  just  said 
to  me  that  he  can't  for  the  soul  of  him  make  out  what 
all  this  is  for.  He  says  he  can't  conceive  what  he  has 
done  that  should  bring  all  of  us  here  to  greet  him.  Well, 
his  modesty  is  as  remarkable  as  his  other  qualities. 
I'll  tell  him  why  we're  here.  We  have  come  to  honor  a 
great  philanthropist  who  has  done  great  things  for  a 
great  Art;  and  we  have  come  to  honor  a  friend  who 
has  probably  contributed  more  than  any  other  one  man 
in  New  York  to  our  happiness  and  our  spiritual  develop- 
ment.    {Great  applause.) 

We  have  also  come  to  honor  four  great  artists 
{Applause.  A  voice:  "Five!"),  and  as  the  Kneisels  are 
with  us,  I  think  that  while  we  are  about  it  we  may  as 
well  call  it  eight.  {Applause.)  And  now  that  we  have 
got  so  near  to  the  number  of  the  Muses,  I  propose  to 
pay  our  respects  to  the  ninth,  to  the  fifth  of  the  Flon- 

7 


8     The  de  Coppet-Flonzaley  Supper 

zaley  Quartet:  I  know  you  all  want  to  drink  the  health 
of  Mrs.  de  Coppet.  {Great  applause.)  I  do  not  know 
whether  you  young  folks  know  it,  but  old  soldiers  like 
Mr.  Rice  and  me,  who  used  to  go  to  the  de  Coppets' 
for  chamber  music  pretty  near  thirty  years  ago,  know 
that  if  it  had  not  been  for  Mrs.  de  Coppet  there 
wouldn't  be  any  Flonzaley  Quartet,  and  that  is  a  pretty 
important  matter. 

But  now  that  we  are  speaking  of  the  ladies,  I  suppose 
we  ought  also  to  pay  our  respects  to  the  Olive  Mead 
Quartet.  {Applause.)  But  they  have  fallen  into  ways 
which  interfere  with  the  regularity  of  practice  {Laugh- 
ter), and  there  are  only  three  of  them  here  tonight — 
but  I  am  happy  to  be  able  to  report  that  mother  and 
child  are  doing  well.     {Laughter  and  applause.) 

Well,  I  suppose  that  we  are  here  not  only  because  of 
these  dear  and  admired  friends  of  ours,  but  because  we 
are  all  of  us  amateurs  of  the  Quartet  itself.  At  the 
celebration  of  the  Kneisel  silver  wedding  with  their 
audience,  some  four  or  five  years  ago,  Mr.  Krehbiel 
let  out  something  I  hadn't  the  pluck  to  say,  but  which 
I  believed  and  backed  him  up  in  afterwards — that  of 
all  music,  Beethoven's  last  quartets  are  the  greatest 
that  was  ever  written,  and  I  suspect  that  we  honor  our- 
selves in  honoring  the  Quartet. 

When  they  want  to  throw  into  bold  relief  these  great 
artists,  they  select  the  very  worst  quartet  player  in 
New  York  to  preside  on  the  occasion — that  is  univer- 
sally admitted — but,  badly  as  I  play,  I  know  one  thing 
about  the  Quartet  which  I  don't  believe  any  of  the  rest 
of  you  know,  and  I  am  going  to  take  three  minutes, 
late  as  it  is,  to  tell  you.  I  don't  believe  any  of  us,  ex- 
cept myself,  begins  to  realize  what  a  quartet  can  ex- 
press. I  am  fortunate  enough  to  live  most  of  the  year 
in  a  little  place  where  there  is  a  very  fine  violinist,  who 
is  also  a  fine  theoretical  musician,  and  we  got  up  a  sort 


The  Toastmaster  9 

of  quartet — it  would  have  been  a  mighty  good  one  if 
we  had  had  a  decent  'cello  player — and  I  said  to  him 
early  last  summer,  "I  miss  orchestral  music,  living  up 
here  the  greater  part  of  the  year,  and  I  have  been  trying 
to  get  some  sort  of  comprehension  of  Liszt's  Preludes," 
I  didn't  care  to  hear  them  on  a  piano:  so  I  said:  "Would 
it  be  a  crazy  thing  to  arrange  them  for  a  quartet?"  and 
he  said,  "No,  a  quartet  can  express  anything."  I  said, 
"Try  to  arrange  it."  He  said  he  would  try  a  page,  and 
when  we  played  it,  it  went  first  rate.  Then  we  took 
another  page,  and  so  on  we  went,  a  page  or  two  at  a 
time,  until  we  had  the  whole  thing,  and  I  can  tell  you 
it  was  perfectly  tremendous.  Of  course  we  were  in  a 
small  room:  the  room  can  hardly  be  too  small  for  such 
a  purpose.  I  don't  believe  anybody  can  conceive  with- 
out trying  it,  what  a  quartet  can  do  to  give  the  spirit 
of  a  colossal  composition  like  that.  It  was  not  the  soul- 
less playing  of  the  piano  rendering:  there  was  color  in  it; 
in  that  beautiful  arpeggio  accompaniment,  originally 
played  by  the  bassoon,  the  viola  sounded  like  a  bassoon; 
and  in  the  Pastorale  the  thing  actually  sounded  like 
an  oboe.  It  is  astonishing  how  the  viola  will  take  the 
color  from  a  passage.  If  you  associate  any  instrument 
with  any  passage,  the  viola  will  call  up  that  association, 
and  somehow  it  seems,  chameleon-like,  to  take  the  color 
of  anything  it  touches.  I  could  talk  two  or  three  hours 
more  on  the  subject,  but  I  won't.  {Laughter  and  ap- 
plause.) But  if  any  of  you  want  to  try  what  a  quartet 
can  express,  I'll  lend  you  my  copy  of  the  Liszt  arrange- 
ment. 

{Turning  to  Mr.  de  Coppet,  and  raising  his  glass.) 
And  now,  my  dear  old  friend,  here's  to  you!  We  all 
want  to  drink  to  you !  May  you  live  to  see  your  children 
gray!  May  you  have  returned  to  you  a  thousand-fold 
all  you  have  done  for  us !  {Great  applause)  and  when  you 
go  to  Heaven,  as  you  are  sure  to  if  anybody  does,  in- 


lo    The  de  Coppet-Flonzaley  Supper 

stead  of  being  received  by  the  orthodox  orchestra  of 
trombones  and  harps,  may  you  be  received  by  a  string 
quartet!     {Laughter  and  applause.) 

And  now  there  is  at  least  one  man  here  who  knows 
better  than  I,  the  history  of  the  circumstances  which 
led  to  the  creation  of  the  Flonzaley  Quartet.  That  man 
is  Mr.  Rice.  I  believe  he  played  in  the  first  piece  of 
chamber  music  at  Mr.  de  Coppet's  home,  and  he  is  to 
have  the  pleasant  privilege  of  presenting  to  our  old 
friend,  a  testimonial,  a  souvenir,  an  indication  in  a  very 
faint  way,  of  our  appreciation  of  what  he  has  done  as 
a  philanthropist  and  a  lover  of  art,  and  of  our  gratitude 
for  what  he  has  done  for  us  as  a  friend.     {Applause.) 


Mr.  Edwin  T.  Rice: 

Mr.  Kapellmeister^  Ladies  and  Gentlemen:  The  occa- 
sion which  first  prompted  the  giving  of  this  supper  was 
the  one  thousandth  evening  or  afternoon  of  de  Coppet 
chamber  music  in  New  York,  to  which  many  of  you 
were  invited  some  time  ago.  A  certain  musical  anti- 
quarian then  discovered  that  by  a  happy  coincidence, 
the  twenty-fifth  season  of  de  Coppet  music  also  com- 
pleted the  tenth  anniversary  of  the  Flonzaley  Quartet. 
You  have  therefore  been  invited  to  this  family  party  to 
celebrate  two  family  anniversaries. 

The  gentlemen  of  the  press  have  not  been  bidden — 
at  least  in  their  official  capacity — and  it  is  our  purpose 
to  preserve  the  intimate  quality — and  may  I  also  say — 
the  charm  of  the  occasion,  as  Is  appropriate  to  all  that 
concerns  chamber  music  and  the  shrines  In  which  its 
divinities  are  worshipped. 

One  of  the  most  remarkable  of  the  temples  erected 
for  musical  worship  here  in  New  York,  is  that  long 
maintained  by  Edward  and  Pauline  de  Coppet;   and 


Mr.  Edwin  T.  Rice  1 1 

we  are  now  assembled  as  privileged  worshippers  at  that 
shrine  to  do  honor  to  our  high  priest  and  priestess. 

As  perhaps  the  oldest  of  those  worshippers  now 
present,  it  has  devolved  upon  me  to  be  your  first  spokes- 
man— or  shall  I  say  acolyte.  The  occasion  which  we 
are  first  celebrating  is  the  silver  anniversary — the  com- 
pletion by  our  guests  of  twenty-five  seasons  of  musical 
delight  and  hospitable  welcome,  of  a  full  quarter  of  a 
century  of  whole-hearted  devotion  to  the  noble  art  of 
chamber  music. 

A  few  of  you  here  present  may  remember  the  first 
years  of  that  family  worship;  more  of  you  joined  the 
congregation  in  what  may  be  called  its  middle  period. 
All  of  you  have  witnessed  Its  splendid  culmination  In 
the  founding  of  the  Flonzaley  Quartet,  which  for  the 
past  ten  years  has  made  that  shrine  famous  and  dis- 
tinguished not  only  In  the  musical  annals  of  the  City, 
but  also  throughout  the  entire  world  of  chamber  music. 

It  was  my  own  good  fortune  to  become  an  active 
worshipper  at  that  shrine  upon  Its  first  establishment 
In  New  York,  and  It  has  been  my  even  greater  privilege 
to  share  In  Its  musical  ritual  without  interruption,  ever 
since  its  services  were  first  inaugurated. 

If  you  will  allow  me  for  a  moment  to  become  reminis- 
cent, I  will  take  you  back  with  me  to  a  certain  quiet 
October  evening  rather  more  than  twenty-five  years 
ago,  the  first  of  those  thousand  and  more  nights  and 
days  of  music,  which  have  unspeakably  enriched  the 
lives  of  those  who  have  been  permitted  to  share  In  their 
delights.  The  program  included  the  first  of  the  trios  of 
Beethoven  and  Schumann.  Mrs.  de  Coppet  presided 
at  the  piano — and  to  our  great  joy  Mrs.  de  Coppet  has 
been  the  inspired  and  inspiring  interpreter  of  all  the 
piano  chamber  music  which  has  been  heard  in  the 
de  Coppet  temple  during  the  past  quarter  of  a  century. 
And  that  means  that  she  has  interpreted  to  us  bril- 


I  2    The  de  Coppet-Flonzaley  Supper 

liantly  and  sympathetically  nearly  all  of  the  great 
compositions  which  combine  the  piano  with  strings — 
from  Bach  to  Brahms — from  Mozart  and  Beethoven 
to  Richard  Strauss — a  variety  and  range  of  exposition 
that  few  other  living  artists  could  match.  Long  may 
she  continue  in  this  divinely  appointed  mission  and 
permit  us,  her  fellow-worshippers,  to  remain  spellbound 
and  entranced  by  the  inspired  revelations  of  the  beauti- 
ful art  to  which  she  has  devoted  so  much  of  her  life. 
{Great  applause.) 

The  earliest  of  the  violinists  was  Mrs.  de  Coppet's 
brother,  Charles  Bouis,  a  gifted  pupil  of  Cesar  Thomson 
and  an  artist  of  the  greatest  refinement  and  distinction. 
Mr.  Bouis  had  then  just  established  himself  in  New 
York,  and  for  twelve  delightful  seasons  he  led  the 
stringed  instruments  in  most  of  the  chamber  music 
performed  in  the  de  Coppet  temple.  At  times,  he  re- 
signed the  first  desk  in  quartets  to  take  that  of  viola — 
an  instrument  which  he  played  with  noble  tone  and 
vivid  effect.  We,  who  knew  him  well  and  loved  him 
no  less  as  artist  than  as  man,  have  missed  him  sadly 
since  his  return  to  Europe,  and  in  the  affectionate  re- 
gard of  his  many  New  York  friends  his  place  will  not 
be  filled  until  he  himself  returns  to  claim  our  allegiance. 

When  the  trio  became  a  quartet,  as  it  did  very  soon 
after  that  first  evening,  Julian  Tinkham  and  William 
Rachau,  both  enthusiastic  amateurs,  filled  the  middle 
voices.  Many  so-called  "festivals"  were  held  in  those 
early  days.  The  entire  world  of  chamber  music  was 
explored  under  the  helpful  guidance  of  our  high  priest, 
Edward  de  Coppet.  Each  year,  he  assembled  his 
musicians  for  a  dinner  upon  St.  Cecelia's  day,  at  which 
the  musical  activities  of  his  household  were  passed  in 
review,  and  upon  which  occasions  he  fired  us  with  his 
own  kindling  enthusiasm  for  the  masterpieces  of  his 
beloved  art,  and  encouraged  us  to  strive  for  better  and 


Mr.  Edwin  T.  Rice  13 

more  adequate  interpretation  of  them.  He  brought  to 
us  the  fruits  of  rare  musical  experience,  ripe  judgment 
and  the  keenest  of  musical  consciences.  Quality,  re- 
finement of  tone,  the  most  careful  preparation,  con- 
scientious study  of  the  composer's  purpose — all  of  these 
standards — counsels  of  perfection  if  you  choose — were 
held  up  before  us  as  ideals  to  be  striven  for— and  with 
an  effect  which  upon  at  least  one  of  the  humbler  col- 
laborators will  never  be  forgotten.  Our  loving  gratitude 
is  due  to  him  for  the  opportunities  he  then  afforded  us, 
for  the  patience  with  which  he  submitted  to  our  short- 
comings, and  for  the  enthusiasm  with  which  he  inspired 
us  for  the  loftiest  and  best  in  musical  literature  and 
musical  interpretation. 

A  memorable  event  during  this  early  period  was  the 
first  visit  to  New  York  of  the  Kneisel  Quartet  which 
opened  our  eyes  and  ears  to  hitherto  undreamed  of 
possibilities  of  beauty,  due  to  perfection  of  ensemble, 
purity  and  refinement  of  tone  combined  with  loftiness 
of  artistic  purpose.  The  Kneisels — happily  long  since 
established  in  New  York — have  ever  continued  to  be 
an  inspiration  and  help  to  all  true  lovers  of  chamber 
music,  and  their  ministrations  in  the  de  Coppet  tem- 
ple have  been  notable  incidents  in  its  history.  (Ap- 
plause.) 

What  may  be  called  the  middle  period  of  worship 
at  the  de  Coppet  shrine,  began  about  fifteen  years  ago, 
and  involved  the  collaboration  of  many  artists,  includ- 
ing the  brothers  Jennison,  Messrs.  Karger,  Volpe, 
Mittel,  Marum,  Sanders  and  others.  Then  came  the 
memorable  first  visit  to  this  country  of  a  certain  Alfred 
Pochon.  {Applause.)  The  following  season  saw  the 
establishment  of  the  Flonzaley  Quartet  in  Vienna,  and 
then  that  Quartet  began  its  ministrations  in  that  west- 
side  temple  where  we  have  during  these  ten  seasons 
past  so  often  been  permitted  to  share  in  its  devotions. 


14   The  de  Coppet-Flonzaley  Supper 

The  work  of  the  Quartet  it  does  not  fall  within  my 
province  to  discuss.  Their  eloquence,  tonal  beauty  and 
marvelous  vividness  of  color  have  been  freshly  im- 
pressed upon  you  this  evening,  and  will  be  praised  and 
discussed  by  those  who  are  to  follow  me. 

But  in  summing  up  this  quarter  century  of  art  wor- 
ship, let  me  sound  again  the  personal  note  with  which 
I  began.  Nowhere  than  in  this  de  Coppet  household 
has  there  been  fuller  realization  of  simplicity  and  charm 
of  living  with  the  loftiest  ethical  and  musical  thinking. 
Generous  hospitality  has  been  extended  to  us.  The 
masterpieces  of  chamber  music  have  been  presented  to 
us  by  many  of  the  greatest  artists  of  the  day.  Always 
a  spirit  of  altruism  has  pervaded  the  household,  a  desire 
to  increase  the  happiness  of  others — giving  all,  asking 
nothing  in  return.  So  have  our  friends  been  and  so 
may  they  long  continue  members  of  that  choir — not 
"invisible"  as  in  George  Eliot's  phrase — but  visible 
and  audible 

"Whose  music  is  the  gladness 
of  the  world." 

And  in  proposing  their  healths  and  presenting  in  your 
names  this  piece  of  silver,  I  cannot  do  better  than  read 
the  illuminated  address  which  has  been  composed  by 
Mr.  Spencer,  and  which  I  hope  you  will  all  sign  before 
the  close  of  the  evening. 

To  our  friends y 

Edward  and  Pauline  De  Coppet: 

We,  who  have  had  so  many  welcomes  and  kindnesses  at 
your  hands,  hope  and  believe  that  you  already  know  the 
depth  of  our  appreciation.  But  it  is  very  grateful  to  us  to 
tell  you  of  it  a  little  more  formally,  to  make  this  record  of 
it — not  lest  we  or  you  forget,  but  that  it  may,  perhaps,  be  to 
others,  as  well  as  to  you,  something  of  a  living  testimony. 


SILVER  TANKARD   PRESENTED   TO  MR.  AND   MRS.   de   COPPET 
The  height,   including  the   pedestal,   is  nineteen  inches. 
It  was  made  in  the  \ear   1783  bv  John  Scofield,  who  was  registered  at  Goldsmiths' 
Hall,  London,  in  the  Near   1778.     The   arms  upon   the  tankard   are  those  of  the  Preston 
family,  dating  back  to  the  year  1300.     The  motto  is  "Praesto  ut  prsstem." 

The  inscription   upon  the  pedestal  accompanying  the  tankard   reads  as  follows: 

To 

EDWARD  AND  PAULINE  de  COPPET 

a  loving  appreciation  at  the  end  of  the  tenth  season 

of  the 

FLONZALEY   QUARTET 

March  9th,    1914. 


Mr.  J.  Tinkham,  Mr.  de  Coppet      15 

It  has  not  been  given  to  many,  as  to  you,  to  contribute  so 
much  or  so  whole-heartedly  to  the  higher  happiness  and 
musical  culture  of  the  community.  We  are  all  better  and 
less  worldly  for  what  you  have  done,  not  alone  because  of  it, 
but  especially  by  reason  of  the  lovely  spirit  in  which  you 
have  done  it.  You  have  the  satisfaction  which  comes  with 
success  and,  what  is  more  worth  while,  you  have  also  the 
loyal  gratitude  of  every  one.  In  token  of  it,  and  in  memory 
of  the  thousand  hospitable  concerts  you  have  given,  it  is  our 
delight,  on  this  tenth  anniversary  of  the  beginnings  of  the 
Flonzaley  Quartet,  to  bring  to  you  our  greetings,  our  homage, 
and,  what  we  hope  you  will  like  best,  our  affection. 

Mr.  Rice  then  presented  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  de  Coppet 
the  singularly  graceful  eighteenth  century  silver  tank- 
ard. Mr.  and  Mrs.  de  Coppet  rose  to  bow  their  thanks, 
and  were  kept  on  their  feet  some  time  by  the  enthu- 
siastic applause. 

Mr.  Julian  Tinkham: 

Mr.  Chairman,  Ladies  and  Gentlemen:  Mr.  de  Coppet 
has  asked  me  to  read  for  him  something  he  has  written 
In  response  to  Mr.  Rice's  address.  I  shall  do  so  with 
pleasure,  but  I  am  sure  you  all  regret  as  much  as  I  do, 
that  he  does  not  feel  he  Is  able  to  read  it  himself.  I  can 
give  you  Mr.  de  Coppet's  words,  but  I  shall  be  a  poor 
substitute  for  his  own  lips.    Mr.  de  Coppet  says: 

^^  Ladies  and  gentlemen,  dear  friends:  About  five  weeks 
ago  vague  rumors  reached  me  that  It  was  proposed  to 
offer  a  supper  to  the  Flonzaley  Quartet  In  celebration 
of  Its  tenth  birthday.  I  was  much  gratified  at  the  plan, 
and  I  felt  a  desire  to  be  one  of  the  prime  movers  In  it. 
But  suddenly,  what  did  I  hear.?  That  Mrs.  de  Coppet 
and  I  were  to  be  Included  in  the  celebration.  This  put 
the  matter  In  a  completely  different  aspect.  I  said  to 
myself:  'Those  dear  friends!  They  mean  well,  but  they 
want  to  offer  us  just  the  kind  of  thing  that  we  are  not 


1 6    The  de  Coppet-Flonzaley  Supper 

fitted  for.  Imagine  me  rising  before  a  considerable 
number  of  people  and  boldly  stating  that  two  and  two 
make  four!  I  could  not  even  do  that.  How  much  less 
could  I  attempt  to  express  any  finer  sentiment.  And 
they  expect  me  to  talk  of  chamber  music!  Why,  have 
they  forgotten  that  chamber  music  is,  so  it  is  said,  the 
most  intellectual  side  of  the  musical  art.''  The  thing  is 
unthinkable.'  The  practical  result  of  it  all  was  that 
gloom  spread  over  my  soul,  and  that  the  thought  oc- 
curred to  me:  'How  would  it  do  for  us  to  visit  the 
Panama  Canal  about  March  9th.'*  {Laughter  and  ap- 
plause.) Some  people  say  it  is  well  worth  seeing.' 
Meanwhile  time  was  passing,  and  my  sky  was  darken- 
ing. But  suddenly  there  was  a  change  in  my  mental 
attitude;  something  like  a  ray  of  sunlight  broke  through 
my  clouds.  It  came  from  the  great  sun  of  human  kind- 
ness and  sympathy,  and  I  felt  its  benevolent  heat 
warming  my  heart.  I  said  to  myself:  'These  friends, 
who  are  bidding  us  join  them  in  this  festivity,  are  not 
going  through  a  pure  form.  They  have  something  in 
their  hearts  which  they  wish  to  express.'  And  then  I 
saw  it  all.  We  personally  were  to  be  of  no  importance 
in  the  matter.  Even  our  friends  'the  Flonzaleys'  and 
their  fine  ten  years'  efforts  were  to  count  for  little.  The 
purpose  was  to  be  for  us  all  to  assemble  as  an  expression 
of  undying  love  and  devotion  for  the  great  art.  {Ap- 
plause.) Ah!  That  is  another  thing.  Let  me  in,  if  you 
please.  And  the  first  thing  I  knew  I  was  fighting  my 
way  to  obtain  a  front  seat.  {Applause.)  Yet,  now  that 
I  am  here,  I  still  feel  quite  incapable  of  expressing  my- 
self. There  is  only  one  way  for  me  to  do  that,  and  it  is 
hardly  a  practical  one.  You  would  have  to  come  one 
by  one  (two  at  a  time  would  cause  me  stage-fright)  into 
my  little  studio  at  home.  There  at  my  piano  I  might 
enable  you  to  look  down  into  my  heart  and  to  see  all 
there  is  there  of  gratitude  and  appreciation  of  your 


Mr.  Nelson  S.  Spencer  17 

kindness.  Mrs.  de  Coppet,  foremost  help  in  all  of  my 
artistic  endeavors,  is  one  with  me  in  this  feeling,  I  can 
assure  you. 

"And  now  a  word  of  praise  and  of  affection  for  our 
artists.  (You  see  I  cannot  help  talking  sentiment;  it  is 
my  misfortune  as  well  as  my  blessing.)  You  know  that 
for  an  artist  to  really  hold  an  audience,  he  must  first 
of  all  be  a  good  musician.  Secondly,  he  must  have 
mastered  technic,  which  enables  one  to  express  oneself. 
But  lastly  and  principally,  he  must  be  a  fine  personality 
and  have  a  soul  desirous  to  communicate  to  other  souls 
some  emotions  worth  communicating.  (Applause.) 
On  the  size  and  quality  of  his  soul  the  final  result  de- 
pends. Well,  I  have  complete  confidence  in  the  Flon- 
zaleys.  My  dear  friends,  Betti,  Pochon,  Ara  and 
d'Archambeau  are  noble  fellows.  Ten  years  of  almost 
daily  intercourse  have  steadily  increased  my  admira- 
tion, my  regard  and  my  affection  for  them.  They  un- 
derstood from  the  first  my  idea  of  quartet  playing,  and 
you  all  know  what  an  edifice  they  have  built  upon  that 
foundation.  They  will  continue,  I  firmly  believe,  to 
strive  for  an  ideal  (without  of  course  ever  reaching  it; 
that  would  be  an  unfair  trick  on  our  friends,  the  critics) 
(Laughter),  and  they  will,  I  earnestly  hope,  be  with  us 
long  and  ever  remain  as  now:  the  very  humble  servants 
of  the  Art.  A  propos:  three  cheers  for — what  do  I  say.'' 
Three  cheers.''  I  mean  three  thousand  cheers  for  the 
Art.     (Great  applause.) " 


Mr.  Tinkham: 

Mr.  de  Coppet  has  sent  me  a  few  more  lines: 
"When  I  sent  that  letter  I  did  not  know  of  the  won- 
derful gift  Mrs.  de  Coppet  and  I  were  to  receive.     Pray 
express  our  warmest  thanks  to  all. 

E.  J.  DE  Coppet, 
(Applause  and  cheering.)  Pauline  de  Coppet." 


1 8    The  de  Coppet-Flonzaley  Supper 

The  Toastmaster: 

There  are  three  people  in  this  world  I  am  very  sorry 
for  tonight.  The  best  they  could  do  to  enjoy  this  oc- 
casion was  to  send  us  some  telegrams,  which  with  your 
permission  I  will  read: 

"Mr.  and  Mrs.  E.  J.  de  Coppet, 
Care  Sherry's, 
New  York. 
Congratulations   and  best  wishes   to  you   and   Flonzaley 
Quartet. 

Fritz  Stahlberg." 


"Adolfo  Betti, 

Care  Flonzaley  Quartet. 
Regret  that  I  must  be  out  of  town  at  your  celebration. 
Heartiest  congratulations. 

Rubin  Goldmark." 


Mr.  Goldmark  also  telegraphs  to  Mr.  de  Coppet: 

"Regret  absence  from  town  prevents  my  joining  in  tribute 
to  you.    Many  congratulations. 

Goldmark." 


We  thought  Mr.  Whiting  was  to  be  with  us  and  speak 
to  us.  Great  pity  he  wasn't!  He  made  a  most  wonder- 
ful speech  at  the  Kneisel  celebration  four  years  ago.  He 
says: 

"To  de  Coppet,  Flonzaley:  Hearty  greetings  to  the 
honored  guests,  and  regrets  that  I  cannot  take  part  in  the 
celebration." 


Mr.  de  Coppet  19 

Now,  it  is  our  privilege  to  give  some  souvenirs  of  this 
most  auspicious  occasion,  to  the  great  artists  whom  we 
have  met  to  honor.  And  I  think  we  are  having  a  most 
remarkable  illustration  of  the  humanizing  eflFect  of 
music.  We  have  known  the  myths  about  what  Orpheus 
did,  and  what  Triton  did  with  his  wreathed  horn,  in 
taming  the  monsters  of  the  deep;  but  here,  owing  to  the 
influence  of  the  quartet,  we  have  actually  got  lawyers 
engaged  in  giving  away  things.  {Laughter.)  One  orna- 
ment of  the  profession  has  already  given  this  [pointing 
to  the  tankard]  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  de  Coppet,  and  now 
another  one,  Mr.  Nelson  Spencer,  has  something  to  give 
to  the  members  of  the  Quartet. 

Mr.  Nelson  S.  Spencer: 

Mr.  Chairman,  Ladies  and  Gentlemen:  As  everyone 
who  has  preceded  me  has  said  we  are  here  tonight  to 
pay  our  very  best  respects  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  de  Coppet, 
and  we  are  here  also  as  you  have  said  and  as  Mr.  de 
Coppet  also  has  said,  not  to  forget  the  part  which  the 
four  members  of  the  Quartet  have  contributed  in  the 
past  ten  years,  in  their  great  sympathy  with  and  their 
great  loyalty  and  their  great  devotion  to  the  work 
which  Mr.  and  Mrs.  de  Coppet  have  done.  We  are 
here  such  a  very  friendly,  sympathetic  company,  that 
it  would  be  supererogatory  for  me  to  undertake  to  say 
to  them  what  we  all  feel  and  what  we  all  think,  and  I 
shall  not  attempt  it.  But  we  think  we  ought  not  to  let 
the  occasion  go  by  without  making  some  record  of  the 
distinctive  contribution  which  they  have  made  to  the 
occasion,  and  to  the  work  which  we  are  here  tonight  to 
celebrate.  And  it  is  my  pleasant  duty  to  ask  them,  in 
recognition  of  our  appreciation,  to  accept  the  watches, 
each  one  of  them  to  accept  the  watch  and  the  fob  which 
goes  with  it,  which  will  be  presently  handed  to  him. 
I  wish  to  say  immediately  that  this  is  intended  to  be 


2  0    The  de  Coppet-Flonzaley  Supper 

no  reflection  whatever  upon  the  "time"  of  the  Quartet. 
(Laughter.)  But  I  can  say,  with  perhaps  more  per- 
tinence, that  the  time  which  these  instruments  are  to 
measure,  we  hope  will  continue  to  run  as  smoothly  for 
the  Quartet  as  their  music  has  and  does  run  for  us,  and 
that  it  will  continue  to  be  filled  with  as  large  a  sum  of 
their  friendship  for  us  as  we  can  assure  them  it  will  be 
with  our  own  friendship  for  them.     {Applause.) 

(Mr.  Spencer  then  presented  watches  and  fobs  to 
the  members  of  the  Quartet.) 

The  Toastmaster: 

You  have  heard  what  I  said  about  the  flexibility  of 
that  wonderful  instrument  the  viola,  how  at  one  time 
it  can  be  a  bassoon,  and  at  another  time  a  bagpipe, 
and  now  you  will  hear  it  as  a  gentleman  making  a 
speech.    It  will  be  played,  as  usual,  by  Mr.  Ara. 

Mr.  Ugo  Ara: 

Mr.  President:  My  English  they  say  is  not  good 
enough  to  allow  me  to  improvise  a  speech  of  thanks 
in  answer  to  the  delightful  speech  which  you  so  kindly 
have  just  delivered  here.  All  I  can  do  is  to  tell  you  that 
my  friends,  my  colleagues  and  I,  are  extremely  grateful 
to  you  for  this  new  proof  of  friendship.  [Applause.) 
And  that  we  hope  that,  supported  by  your  sympathy, 
and  the  sympathy  of  all  the  friends  here  present,  we 
may  be  able  to  accomplish  what  our  father  in  New 
York,  Mr.  E.  J.  de  Coppet,  has  dreamed  for  us,  namely, 
to  touch  the  heart  of  the  people  in  telling  them,  simply, 
sincerely  and  honestly,  the  message  of  the  great  masters 
of  music.  {Applause.)  And  now  will  you  allow  me  to 
read  a  few  lines  which  I  have  written  for  this  occasion  .f" 

Ladies  and  Gentlemen:  My  colleagues  and  I  have 
been  told  that  the  aim  of  this  delightful  evening  is  not 
only  to  celebrate  the  thousand  and  several  musicals  at 


Mr.  Ugo  Ara  2  i 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  de  Coppet's  house,  and  their  long  and 
brilliant  career  as  Mecene  and  hostess,  but  also  (and 
for  that  we  are  extremely  grateful  to  the  kind  promoters 
of  this  occasion)  to  celebrate  the  tenth  anniversary  of 
the  Flonzaley  Quartet's  happy  life. 

Happy  life!  The  word  has  been  often  pronounced 
and  printed — Are  you  sure  that  it  is  the  proper  one? 

Have  you  ever  imagined  the  terrible  slavery  of  these 
four  ^^ Siamese  Brothers^'  condemned  to  play,  to  bow 
and  to  smile,  to  dine,  to  rehearse  and  ...  to  pose  for 
the  photographer  all  at  the  same  time  and  in  perfect 
tempo  ? 

Have  you  ever  realized  the  crushing  burden  of  this 
triple  married  life  in  which  every  one  of  us  depends  con- 
stantly and  entirely  on  the  good  will,  the  moods  and 
the  caprices  of  his  better  .  .  .  '''' three  quarters?'"'  And 
all  our  adventures  with  managers,  agents,  hotelkeepers 
and  with  the  public  itself.''  A  few  examples  will  serve 
as  an  illustration. 

We  started  our  public  career  some  nine  years  ago 
in  Switzerland.  Our  first  tour  was  engaged  by  an  un- 
speakable Genevese  and  the  results  were  anything  but 
pleasant.  In  the  French  Swiss  (where  we  had  some 
friends)  things  went  decently,  and  in  Lausanne  the 
papers  had  even  some  words  of  praise  for  "...  the 
nice  little  orchestra  proceeded  to  charm  the  leisure 
moments  of  a  wealthy  gentleman." 

But  in  Zurich  (where  we  didn't  know  a  single  soul) 
we  had  quite  an  experience.  Arriving  there  at  the  eve 
of  the  concert  we  saw  neither  posters,  nor  window  cards, 
nor  announcements.  Next  morning,  very  anxious,  we 
went  to  the  local  manager,  Mr.  X.  For  dignity's  sake 
we  tried  to  preserve  our  incognito  and  merely  enquired 
about  the  programme  of  the  evening's  concert.  "What 
concert.?" — "That  of  chamber  music." — "Chamber 
music.?"— "Yes,  In  the  Tonhalle."— "Tonhalle?" 


2  2    The  de  Coppet-Flonzaley  Supper 

The  clerk  knowing  absolutely  nothing  about  it,  we 
asked  him  to  call  Mr.  X.  himself.  He  came,  very  dig- 
nified, very  imposing,  very  grand,  and  demanded  very 
gently:  "What  can  I  do  for  you,  gentlemen.'"' — 
"Mr.  X.,"  we  said  to  him  rather  impatiently,  "have  you 
or  have  you  not  the  arrangement  of  the  Flonzaley 
Quartet?"  And  he  quite  naturally  replied:  "For  four 
hands,  perhaps,  gentlemen.'"'  {Laughter.)  The  man 
had  not  only  forgotten  our  concert,  but  even  our  very 
name. 

A  few  weeks  later  we  went  to  Amsterdam,  where  we 
had  to  play  Hugo  Wolf's  beautiful  and  difficult  String 
Quartet.  The  first  movement  went  well.  But  in  the 
beginning  of  the  adagio,  where  we  had  to  play  some 
very  dangerous  and  complicated  chords,  I  noticed  a  man 
in  the  third  row  making  evident  signs  of  disapprobation. 
Of  course  it  disturbed  me  terribly  and  I  determined  not 
to  look  at  him  again.  But  involuntarily,  every  time  I 
had  something  difficult  to  play  I  looked  at  my  man, 
and  noticed  with  terror  that  he  was  making  the  most 
awful  faces.  I  was  in  despair,  and  my  colleagues  too. 
But  what  was  our  surprise  when  in  the  artist-room  we 
found  the  man  in  question  asking  us  very  kindly  to  put 
our  signatures  in  his  album  and  assuring  us  that  seldom 
had  he  heard  such  a  beautiful  ensemble  and  never  in  his 
life  a  quartet  playing  so  perfectly  (gr  ...!),  but  so 
perfectly  (gr  ...  !),  but  so  perfectly  (gr  .  .  .  !)  in 
time!  {Laughter.)  The  man  had  a  nervous  tick — a 
wonder  that  we  didn't  get  one  too! 

In  Chexbres,  Switzerland,  several  years  ago — Mr. 
de  Coppet,  who  used  to  give  us  frequent  and  precious 
musical  advice,  for  a  long  time  said  nothing  about  our 
playing.  One  Sunday  afternoon,  after  having  played 
at  the  Flonzaley  the  Debussy  Quartet,  and  played  it, 
we  thought,  pretty  well,  I  said  to  myself:  "I  wonder  if 
Mr.  de  Coppet  liked  this  performance  and  if  he  is  going 


Mr.  Ugo  Ara  23 

to  speak  about  it."  I  had  just  formulated  this  desire 
when  Mr.  de  Coppet  called  me  to  the  terrace  and  when 
we  were  there  alone  told  me  very  courteously:  "Ara,  I 
wish  to  congratulate  you." — "Thank  you,  Mr.  de 
Coppet." — "  Indeed,"  he  repeated, "  I  must  congratulate 
you.  I  really  think  for  years  you  didn't  have  such  a 
beautiful  .  .  .  *beard-cut'  as  now!"     {Laughter.) 

The  honor  of  the  barber  was  saved — that  of  the  viola 
player  received  a  terrible  shock! 

In  a  small  place  near  Boston,  one  evening  after  the 
concert,  we  met  at  the  depot  a  lady  who  wanted  to 
know  all  about  our  instruments — "What  kind  of  in- 
struments do  you  have.^" — "Old  Italian  instruments." 
— "Oh,  I  thought  so." — "And  what  about  their 
makers.?" — "Stradivari  and  Guadanini" — "Oh  ...  I 
thought  so. — And  what  about  their  age.?" — "Two  hun- 
dred years  old." — "Oh  ...  I  thought  so." 

"Madame,"  we  said  to  her,  "you  seem  to  be  quite  a 
connoisseur." — "Oh  no,"  she  answered  very  modestly, 
"I  am  not.  But  it  is  easy  to  see  that  you  have  very 
valuable  instruments.  It  is  extraordinary  all  I  could 
hear  in  your  playing!  Sometimes  human  voices. — 
Sometimes  bird  songs. — And  sometimes  (and  here  her 
voice  trembled  with  emotion)  and  sometimes  even  .  .  . 
^  dogs  harking.'' ^^ 

In  a  small  place  in  the  Middle  West  we  were  very 
much  surprised,  coming  from  the  concert,  to  find  the 
hotelkeeper,  who  had  received  us  very  cordially  on  our 
arrival,  absolutely  changed  and  directly  angry  with  us. 
We  couldn't  understand  the  reason.  But  very  soon 
he  told  us  frankly:  "You  boys  had  a  fine  business,  but 
you  put  mine  'on  the  blink.'  I  run  the  moving-picture 
show  in  this  town.  Everybody  went  to  your  concert 
and  I  had  an  empty  house."  And  soon  after,  as  though 
he  had  struck  a  glorious  idea:  "Now,  boys,"  he  said, 
"Why  can't  we  do  business  together.?     What  about 


24   The  de  Coppet-Flonzaley  Supper 

playing  for  me  three  shows  a  day — one  hundred  dollars 
a  week?" 

We  were  foolish  enough  to  decline  it.  Why!  Today 
some  nice  little  selections  of  .  .  .  Schoenberg  at  the 
"movies"  would,  perhaps,  make  quite  a  sensation!!! 
{Laughter.) 

Two  years  ago  we  toured  a  remote  part  of  this  coun- 
try with  a  charming  lady  impresario.  She  was  just  as 
kind  as  she  could  be  and  used  to  invite  us  for  automobile 
rides  and  suppers  and  walks.  But  about  our  playing 
never  a  single  word.  We  thought  it  strange.  But  one 
evening  after  a  concert  in  a  certain  place,  where  we  had 
had  quite  an  exceptional  success,  she  came  just  beaming 
into  the  artist-room  and  shaking  hands  with  us  she 
exclaimed  with  the  greatest  enthusiasm:  "I  am  so 
proud."  We  thought:  "At  last!"  and  bowed  and 
thanked. — "I  am  so  proud!"  she  repeated. — We  bowed 
and  thanked  again. — "I  am  so  proud"  she  exclaimed  a 
third  and  last  time,  "of  my  good  .  .  .  public!!" 

And  I  shall  close  with  a  little  adventure  we  had  near 
New  York  just  a  few  weeks  ago. 

A  lady,  who  had  known  the  Quartet  for  years  but 
had  never  heard  it,  told  me  she  intended  to  come  to  our 
second  concert  at  Aeolian  Hall.  Knowing  the  lady  is 
not  very  musical  and  we  were  going  to  play  the  Schoen- 
berg, I  said  to  her:  "Oh,  please.  Madam,  don't  come  to 
that  concert.  We  are  going  to  have  such  an  awful  hard 
programme!"  And  she  said  to  me  very  gently:  "Oh, 
it  doesn't  matter,  Mr.  Ara,  it  doesn't  matter  at  all.  I 
am  not  so  critical!"    {Laughter  and  applause.) 

The  Toastmaster  : 

You  are  evidently  coming  to  appreciate  what  a 
variety  of  tones  the  viola  really  has.  Now  I  have  a 
conundrum  to  propose  to  you.  The  answer  is  very 
simple,  but  I  don't  believe  you  will  guess  it.    "Why  has 


Mr.  Louis  Svecenski  25 

New  York  probably  the  greatest  two  quartets  in  the 
world?"  Three  more  seconds  will  be  allowed  for  an  an- 
swer. The  answer  is  simply:  "Because  it  has  them 
both."  {Laughter.)  I  am  surprised  you  did  not  guess 
that:  it  is  so  simple! 

They  learn  from  each  other,  they  stimulate  each 
other,  and  I  do  not  believe  that  either  of  them  would 
be  the  great  quartet  it  is,  if  they  were  not  in  constant 
association  with  each  other.  The  most  beautiful  har- 
mony that  I  know  in  music,  is  the  harmony  between 
these  two  quartets,     {Applause.) 

At  the  celebration  of  the  Kneisel's  twenty-fifth  anni- 
versary, the  F'lonzaleys  were  there  with  their  tribute 
of  respect  and  affection.  And  now  at  this  most  happy 
celebration  of  the  tenth  anniversary  of  the  Flonzaleys 
the  Kneisels  are  with  them,  and  we  will  hear  again  from 
the  viola.    Mr.  Svecenski. 

Mr.  Louis  Svecenski: 

Mr.  Chairman,  and  Ladies  and  Gentlemen:  Mr.  Ara 
said  he  spoke  a  very  poor  English.  I  wish  to  say  I 
speak  an  excellent  English,  but  I  wish  I  could  prepare 
a  speech  such  as  Mr.  Ara  has  prepared.  In  fact,  I  have 
prepared  nothing,  and  I  feel  embarrassed,  and  I  wish 
Mr.  Kneisel,  and  Mr.  Letz  and  Mr.  Willeke  would 
come  and  stand  with  me  so  that  I  should  feel  more 
comfortable,  but  I  know  they  won't. 

I  should  like  first  to  express  in  behalf  of  the  Kneisel 
Quartet  our  heartiest  thanks  to  the  gentlemen  of  the 
Committee  of  Arrangements  for  asking  us  to  come  here 
tonight.  I  wish  to  assure  the  Committee,  and  I  wish 
to  assure  Mr.  and  Mrs.  de  Coppet,  and  the  Flonzaleys, 
that  It  would  have  been  a  very  great  disappointment  if 
circumstances  had  prevented  us  from  being  here  to- 
night. When  some  weeks  ago  Mr.  Rice  told  us  about 
the  plan  of  having  this  delightful  evening,  we  were  very 


2  6    The  de  Coppet-Flonzaley  Supper 

happy  to  hear  of  it,  and  when  he  told  us  that  we  would 
be  asked  to  come  here  as  guests,  we  were  more  than 
delighted.  As  to  myself,  I  shrank  a  little  bit  when  he 
told  me  that  I  might  perhaps  be  asked  to  say  a  few 
words,  because  I  at  once  felt  aware  of  a  certain  con- 
stitutional deficiency  which  always  interfered  with  my 
happiness  whenever  I  had  to  speak  to  more  than  half 
a  dozen  people,  but  somehow  or  other  I  llghtheartedly 
got  over  it,  and  I  gave  myself  to  the  happy  perspective 
of  the  9th  of  March,  and  as  the  time  drew  near  I  began 
to  think  about  It,  and  I  talked  to  my  colleagues  and 
told  them  that  I  really  did  not  feel  up  to  speaking,  that 
I  should  only  say  a  few  words  of  congratulation  to  the 
Quartet  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  de  Coppet,  but  it  seemed 
that  my  colleagues  did  not  believe  In  the  ability  to 
speak  without  preparation.  They  charged  me  to  pre- 
pare a  speech,  take  pencil  and  paper  in  hand,  etc.,  and 
I  started,  on  our  trips,  and  I  thought  that  a  speech 
must  have  an  introduction  of  some  kind,  and  I  thought 
the  best  thing  would  be  to  relate  how  Mr.  Rice  came  to 
us  and  told  us  about  this  evening  and  that  the  9th  of 
March  had  been  chosen  for  the  occasion,  and  that  I 
took  at  once  my  date  book  and  looked  and  I  found  that 
in  all  the  weeks  before  the  9th  of  March,  the  9th  of 
March  happened  to  be  free,  and  so  I  put  that  In  the 
best  words  I  could,  and  looked  it  over,  and  I  said 
"This  is  not  the  very  choicest  introduction  to  the 
speech,  when  we  are  to  celebrate  the  Quartet  which 
after  all  makes  a  living  from  engagements,  to  tell  them 
that  we  had  all  the  evenings  engaged  except  March  9th." 
So  I  crossed  It  out  and  started  over  again.  I  said,  it 
was  not  so,  I  didn't  look  at  my  engagement  book,  but 
we  at  once  accepted.  And  then  I  read  It  over,  and  I 
said,  "Well,  that  will  not  do,  to  say  we  had  no  engage- 
ment, that  we  were  free  to  accept  at  any  time  any- 
thing;" so  I  crossed  that  out;  and  I  said  to  myself,  I 


Mr.  Louis  Svecenski  27 

shall  not  make  a  speech,  just  come  here  and  say  some- 
thing less  ambitious,  and  that  is  what  I  am  doing  now, 
ladies  and  gentlemen.     {Laughter  and  applause.) 

What  I  really  want  to  say  is  that  we  are  proud  that 
such  an  occasion  has  come,  that  an  organization  only 
ten  years  old  could  have  brought  around  so  many  of  the 
most  discriminating,  most  earnest  music-lovers  to  pay 
their  respects.  I  know  the  beginning  of  the  Flonzaley 
Quartet,  I  know  their  beginning  in  New  York,  and  I 
admire  the  spirit  in  which  they  began.  They  came  here 
as  young  artists,  half  or  perhaps  more  advanced  in  their 
career,  fully  equipped  in  their  art,  with  diplomas  of  their 
artistic  maturity  printed,  and  unwritten  as  by  suc- 
cesses with  their  audiences  which  they  had  in  perform- 
ing on  various  occasions  by  themselves — here  they  came 
and  got  together  to  drop  their  achievements  on  their 
various  instruments,  to  devote  themselves  to  try  to 
conquer  an  entirely  new  art  that  had  nothing  to  do  with 
what  they  had  been  doing  before.  To  play  quartet, 
the  technique  which  you  have  acquired  means  almost 
nothing.  That  sounds  perhaps  strong,  but  it  is  so, 
ladies  and  gentlemen.  To  master  your  instrument 
alone,  and  to  master  it  in  accord  with  others,  is  a  four- 
fold difficulty.  The  fluency,  the  intonation,  all  that 
belongs  under  the  name  of  "technique,"  is  by  far  in- 
creased in  playing  ensemble.  So  these  four  gentlemen 
began  and  worked  with  a  spirit  that  is  most  admirable, 
they  started  to  play  Haydn's  Quartets  with  the  same 
seriousness,  they  looked  over  their  parts  which  seemed 
like  child's  play  for  a  virtuoso  violinist,  and  studied 
more  seriously  perhaps  than  they  had  when  they 
worked  at  their  virtuoso  pieces.  It  was  a  specially  de- 
lightful thing  to  observe  how  Mr.  Bctti  and  Mr.  Pochon 
alternated  (perhaps  some  of  you  don't  know,  but  a 
great  many  do)  changed  from  the  first  desk  to  the 
second,  they  didn't  care  where  they  were  to  sit,  as  long 


2  8    The  de  Coppet-Flonzaley  Supper 

as  they  could  play  quartet;  until  finally  each  one  got 
into  his  own  place,  and  they  became  what  they  are  now. 

Of  course,  the  viola  player  interested  me  most  of  all. 
He  did  not  alternate  with  anybody;  he  was  right,  he 
shouldn't.  {Applause.)  The  viola  player  doesn't 
change  with  anyone.  He  has  to  suflFer,  while  the  first 
violin — of  course  he  has  the  enjoyment.  The  second 
violin,  if  he  is  praised  they  say  "he  plays  like  the  first, 
you  couldn't  tell  the  difi'erence."  But  what  does  he 
hear  when  the  viola  is  mentioned  .f*  Once  in  a  while 
someone  comes  and  says,  *'Will  you  please  tell  me 
'What  is  a  viola .^'"  Another  one  comes  and  says:  "I 
admired  your  playing  very  much.  I  used  to  hear  the 
viola,  and  I  always  found  it  a  very  nasal  sort  of  instru- 
ment. You  can't  hear  the  viola  when  you  play!"  So 
his  finest  achievement  with  the  viola  is  that  he  can't 
be  heard.  The  other  comes  and  says:  "Mr.  Ara,  I  can't 
tell  you  how  I  enjoyed  your  viola  tonight;  it  sounded 
like  a  'cello."  Work  and  work  and  work,  until  the 
viola  sounded  like  a  'cello!"  On  the  next  occasion 
when  they  played  the  Schoenberg  Quartet,  I  heard 
someone  thought  Mr.  Ara  sounded  like  an  oboe! — and 
here  Mr.  Ara  works  all  his  life  to  do  his  best  on  the  viola. 

As  to  the  'cellist,  I  don't  dare  to  speak  about  him  at 
all.  They  are  very  sensitive,  the  'cellists — on  evenings 
when  they  are  to  play  Bach's  Sonata,  and  afterwards — 
so  I  really  will  skip  him.  That  is  my  experience  with 
'cellists. 

I  don't  like  to  keep  your  attention  too  long,  but  I 
must  mention  the  time  when  such  audiences  as  the 
Flonzaley  Quartet  attract,  and  such  gatherings,  were 
almost  unbelievable.  And  it  is  not  so  very  long  ago, 
I  remember,  that  Mr.  Kneisel,  before  one  of  our  con- 
certs here,  while  we  were  still  in  Boston,  met,  when  he 
was  just  getting  ready  to  go  to  the  concert,  a  manager  in 
the  lobby  of  the  hotel  where  Mr.  Kneisel  was  stopping. 


Mr.  Louis  Svecenski  29 

He  casually  asked  the  manager  if  he  wouldn't  come  and 
hear  the  concert,  upon  which  this  manager  graciously- 
said:  "Now,  Mr.  Kneisel,  you  mustn't  mind  my  saying 
this,  but  I  go  to  hear  a  quartet  playing  when  I  have  a 
well  cushioned  sofa  or  arm  chair,  and  a  good  cigar, 
otherwise  you  won't  get  me  to  that  concert."  Well, 
Mr.  Kneisel  gave  him  the  cigar.  He  didn't  come  to  the 
concert.  A  few  years  later  after  we  had  resigned  from 
the  Boston  Orchestra,  Mr.  Kneisel  met  the  same 
manager.  Then  he  oflFered  Mr.  Kneisel  a  cigar,  and 
showed  a  great  deal  of  interest  in  quartet  music,  think- 
ing that  Mr.  Kneisel  meant  to  ask  him  to  take  charge  of 
the  business — which  he  didn't;  he  smoked  the  cigar. 

But  as  to  the  achievements  of  the  Flonzaley  Quartet, 
I  think  it  is  unnecessary  to  say  anything.  We  are  all 
here  to  pay  our  respects.  Their  achievements  are  won- 
derful, and  what  is  more  wonderful  is  that  they  achieved 
all  this  in  ten  years  only.  We  know  every  milestone  of 
the  stony  road  which  they  had  to  travel  in  order  to 
reach  the  ensemble  with  which  they  surprise  audiences 
now  in  two  continents,  and  their  achievements,  the  mar- 
velous speed  with  which  they  got  where  they  are  now,  I 
suppose  was  the  reason  that  friends  said  it  was  time  now 
to  halt  and  give  expression  to  our  admiration. 

As  to  Mr.  de  Coppet,  I  have  on  other  occasions  pub- 
licly told,  and  I  often  told  him,  and  members  of  the 
Quartet  tell  him,  how  much  we  appreciate  the  kindness 
he  has  shown  to  us  from  the  very  beginning  of  our 
Quartet.  If  he  was  not  our  father,  he  was  just  as  good 
as  an  uncle.  {Laughter  and  applause.)  In  concluding, 
I  wish  that  Mr.  de  Coppet  may  be  met  in  Heaven  by  a 
string  quartet. 

The  Toastmaster: 

"Uncle"  de  Coppet  wishes  me  to  say  that  he 
was  present   at    the    first    Kneisel    concert,    and   that 


30    The  de  Coppet-Flonzaley  Supper 

he  has  been  a  subscriber  ever  since.  {Laughter  and 
applause.) 

Now  this  most  pathetic  account  of  accidents  by  field 
and  flood,  reminds  me  of  something  interesting  in  con- 
nection with  our  experiences  tonight.  There  is  extant 
a  letter  of  Wagner's  in  which  he  said  that  once  when  he 
was  travelling,  he  was  delayed,  very  greatly  to  his  an- 
noyance, when  in  a  hurry  to  get  on,  in  a  city  he  did  not 
particularly  like,  and  he  was  bored  nearly  to  death. 
But  he  found  compensation  for  there  was  to  be  a  quartet 
concert  that  night,  and  he  went  to  it,  and  they  played 
what  he  called  "my  beloved  adagio."  That  beloved 
adagio  of  Wagner's  was  the  second  movement  of  the 
Beethoven  Quartet  which  the  Flonzaleys  played  to- 
night.   And  how  they  did  play  it! 

Now  in  this  Twentieth  Century,  there  are  two  things 
we  can't  escape.  With  a  certain  portion  of  the  human 
race  as  active  as  it  is,  we  cannot  escape  politics,  and  I 
hope  you  realized  in  my  opening  remarks,  when  I  was 
paying  my  profoundest  respects  to  the  noblest  activity 
in  which  the  ladies'  quartet  is  engaged,  that  I  managed 
to  steer  clear  of  the  political  implication. 

The  other  thing  which  we  can't  escape  in  this  age, 
is  science.  The  greatest  American  biologist  has  made 
a  worldwide  reputation  in  his  investigations  of  the  cell, 
and  it  is  not  far  from  the  cell  to  the  cello.  I  have  often 
wondered  whether  he  would  have  reached  his  eminence, 
if  he  had  not  in  his  leisure  moments  made  some  investi- 
gations in  the  hair  of  the  horse  and  the  intestines  of  the 
cat — I  believe,  to  speak  strictly,  it  is  the  intestines  of 
the  sheep — but  at  all  events  America's  greatest  biologist 
has  a  personal  knowledge  of  catgut  and  horsehair, 
and  by  using  them  in  connection  has  found  for  him- 
self that  recreation  which  his  great  and  profound  and 
successful  labors  have  required;  and  if  Prof.  Wilson 
will  enlighten  us  a  little  more  on  that  subject,  I  have 


Prof.  Edmund  B.  Wilson  3  1 

no  doubt  it  will  be  greatly  for  our  edification  and  en- 
joyment. 

Prof.  Edmund  B.  Wilson: 

Ladies  and  Gentlemen:  I  suppose  these  biological  ref- 
erences of  our  Chairman  refer  to  the  fact  that  I  some- 
times amuse  myself,  or  used  to  amuse  myself,  by  trying 
to  play  a  'cello.  Now  it  is  a  very  curious  peculiarity  of 
human  nature,  which  has  often  been  commented  on, 
that  we  are  not  nearly  so  proud  of  those  things  which 
it  is  our  business  to  do  in  life,  and  which  we  are  supposed 
to  do  decently  well,  as  of  those  which  we  do  by  way 
of  recreation  and  amusement,  and  which  it  is  quite  cer- 
tain that  very  frequently  we  do  extremely  badly.  I 
suppose  it  is  perhaps  for  this  reason  that  I  am  so  much 
flattered  to  be  introduced  to  this  audience  as  one  who  is 
concerned  with  horsehair  and  catgut.  I  am  certainly 
proud  to  be  admitted  to  that  distinguished  galaxy  of 
talent  of  which  our  Chairman  this  evening  is  himself 
so  distinguished  an  ornament,  as  also  Mr.  d'Archam- 
beau,  Miss  Littlehales,  Mr.  Willeke,  Mr.  Rice,  and  per- 
haps I  may  add  Mr.  Tuthill  not  to  mention  lesser 
luminaries.  I  have  been  trying  as  I  sat  here  this  even- 
ing, to  recall  how  many  years  it  is  since  I  had  the 
pleasure  of  hearing  quartets  at  the  house  of  Mr.  de 
Coppet.  I  don't  remember  exactly,  but  I  am  sure  that 
it  is  upwards  of  twenty  years.  Perhaps  that  is  long 
enough  to  give  me  a  sort  of  claim  to  an  obscure  corner 
among  the  outposts  of  the  old  guard  of  the  de  Coppet 
Quartet.  Now  I  remember  in  those  days  that  the 
Quartet  had  a  large  sprinkling  of  amateurs,  at  times 
was  entirely  composed  of  amateurs.  We  older  members 
of  the  circle  have  watched  with  great  interest  (perhaps 
you  will  allow  me  to  fall  for  a  moment  into  the  vernacu- 
lar of  my  own  profession,  which  happens  to  be  that  of 
naturalist),  the  evolution  of  the  de  Coppet  Quartet, 


3  2    The  de  Coppet-Flonzaley  Supper 

we  have  witnessed  the  Inexorable  mutation  of  the  law 
of  natural  selection,  and  the  law  of  the  survival  of  the 
fittest.  The  first  to  fall  hy  the  wayside  were  the  am- 
ateurs. (Laughter.)  I  remember  distinctly  when  it  was 
first  announced  to  one  of  those  amateurs  that  he  would 
not  be  allowed  to  play  any  longer  in  the  Quartet  unless 
he  would  promise  to  practice  at  least  one  hour  a  day. 
He  dropped  out  of  the  Quartet,  as  I  remember.  Now 
later  on  there  were,  years  after  the  elimination  of  the 
amateurs,  years  of  progressively  broadening  experience 
until  Mr.  de  Coppet  had  the  genius  to  bring  together 
the  combination  of  artists  whom  we  all  know  so  well 
and  of  whom  we  are  all  so  proud  {Applause),  almost  as 
If  we  had  done  it  ourselves.  The  Quartet  took  the  name, 
a  very  charming  name,  of  Flonzaley,  but  the  name 
which  belongs  to  this  Quartet,  the  name  which  Is  right- 
fully ours,  the  one  by  which  I  shall  always  think  of  it,  Is 
the  de  Coppet  Quartet.  Now,  ladies  and  gentlemen,  I 
am  somewhat  embarrassed  to  know  how  to  choose  my 
language  as  I  proceed;  because  what  I  should  like  to  do 
would  be  to  tell  Mr.  de  Coppet  exactly  what  I  think 
of  him,  and  yet  I  know  that  would  probably  be  the  last 
thing  In  the  world  that  so  modest  a  man  as  Mr.  de  Cop- 
pet would  wish  to  have  me  do,  and  In  this  dilemma  I  am 
going  to  make  use  of  words  used  by  somebody  else, 
words  said  of  somebody  else.  They  were  the  words 
used  by  Mr.  Saint  Gaudens,  whose  Reminiscences  I 
have  recently  read.  In  a  letter  addressed  to  Maxfield 
Parrish,  congratulating  him  on  some  of  his  artistic 
achievements,  I  think  they  were  the  illustrations  for 
Milton's  I'AUegro,  which  was  published  In  the  Century 
Magazine.    Mr.  Saint  Gaudens  said: 

"It  is  always  an  astonishment  to  me,  how,  after  all  the 
fine  things  seem  to  have  been  done,  and  after  all  the  pos- 
sibilities of  beauty  seem  to  have  been  exhausted,  some  man 


Prof.  Edmund  B.  Wilson  33 

like  you  will  come  along  and  strike  another  note  just  as  dis- 
tinctful  and  just  as  fine." 

Now  this,  or^something  like  this,  is  what  I  should  like 
to  say  about  Mr.  de  Coppet  this  evening.  He  has  done 
a  fine  and  distinguished  thing  for  the  great  circle  of 
music  lovers  among  his  friends,  and  for  the  still  greater 
circles  of  music  lovers  in  New  York  City,  in  America, 
and  in  the  countries  beyond  the  sea. 

Now  I  have  two  other  things  to  which  I  wish  in  very 
few  words  to  give  expression.  I  wish  in  the  first  place 
to  say  once  more,  although  it  has  already  been  said 
several  times  this  evening,  I  shall  say  once  more  for 
my  own  part  and  on  behalf  of  so  many  of  my  friends: 
How  many  delightful  hours,  how  many  opportunities 
for  the  cultivation  of  our  musical  tastes,  we  owe  to  the 
ever  ready  and  charming  hospitality  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
de  Coppet.  {Applause.)  They  have  almost  made  us 
forget  how  much  we  owe  them,  in  the  beautiful  and 
gracious  way  in  which  that  hospitality  has  been  ex- 
tended.    {Applause.) 

And  now  the  other  and  last  thing  which  I  wish  to  do 
is  to  take  off  my  hat  to  the  de  Coppet  Quartet.  We 
have  from  the  first  felt  their  fine  artistic  qualities,  and 
we  have  seen  them  grow  year  by  year  in  artistic  stature 
and  mastery,  until  they  have  taken  their  assured  place 
among  the  great  quartet  organizations  of  the  world. 
I  think  if  anyone  has  had  any  lingering  doubts  in  regard 
to  this,  they  must  have  been  dissipated  in  listening  to 
the  magnificent  exhibition  which  they  have  recently 
given  us  of  artistic  mastery  of  technical  virtuosity,  of 
complete  command  of  the  art  of  chamber  music  in  the 
remarkable  performances  which  they  have  given  us  of 
the  Schoenberg  Quartet;  how  much  pleasure  we  all  owe 
to  their  delightful  art!  They  have  introduced  us  to 
many  new  musical  acquaintances,  and  they  have  con- 


34   The  de  Coppet-Flonzaley  Supper 

tinually  revealed  to  us  new  beauties  even  in  our  oldest 
friends  in  the  quartet  literature.  From  Haydn  to 
Schoenberg  is  a  pretty  long  road  to  travel.  I  will 
confess  that  for  me  at  least,  there  have  been  some 
pretty  rough  spots  on  the  way,  particularly  toward  the 
latter  part  of  it,  but  we  have  been  led  along  that  path- 
way, sometimes  a  little  mystified,  sometimes  turning 
to  look  back  at  the  old,  familiar  landmarks,  always  with 
delight,  always  with  confidence  in  our  guides,  and  for 
this,  ladies  and  gentlemen,  we  thank  them  with  all  our 
hearts.  To  us,  they  are  not  merely  the  distinguished 
artists  whose  triumphs  we  have  followed  and  shall 
follow  hereafter,  God  willing,  with  so  much  pleasure 
and  with  so  much  profit.  They  are  our  very  good 
friends,  and  we  wish  them  all  prosperity  and  all  hap- 
piness!   {Applause.) 

The  Toastmaster: 

Now,  ladies  and  gentlemen,  the  last  number  will  be 
a  little  reminiscence  of  Parsifal.  I  have  suspected  that 
part  of  the  allegory  of  Parsifal  was  that  the  enchantress 
was  a  stringed  instrument,  and  almost  everybody  who 
has  spoken  to  you  tonight  has  yielded  to  that  enchant- 
ment by  becoming  a  player.  There  is  here  one  gentle- 
man of  wit  and  eloquence  who  has  constantly  exposed 
himself  to  the  enchantment,  but  remains  innocent,  and 
I  am  going  to  call  upon  him  to  give  us  an  unprejudiced 
view  of  all  for  which  we  have  been  declaring  our  worship. 
I  call  upon  Mr.  John  Jay  Chapman. 

Mr.  John  Jay  Chapman: 

Mr.  Chairman^  and  Ladies  and  Gentlemen:  This  is  not 
a  degree  I  have  handed  to  Mr.  de  Coppet.  It  is  merely 
a  copy  of  a  few  verses.  They  are  called  "Chamber 
Music"  and  their  reading  will  occupy  but  a  very  few 
moments : 


Mr.  John  Jay  Chapman  35 

"Silence:  the  sunset  gilds  the  frozen  ground 
But  here  within  all's  curtained;  stands  are  set 
In  the  wide  salon  where  gilt  chairs  abound 
And  eager  listeners  wait.    The  band  is  met 
Whose  tuning  sheds  a  cheerful  hum  around: 
Prophetic  notes!  the  tapers  brighten  at  the  sound. 

The  scattered  sheets  of  music  on  the  floor 

Reflect  a  lustre  from  the  yellow  flame. 

My  sight  dissolves  .  .  .  Lo,  Haydn  at  the  door 

Enters  like  some  stiff  angel  from  his  frame, 

Bearing  the  bundle  of  his  latest  score 

Which  he  distributes,  smiling,  to  the  blessed  four. 

But  is  not  Haydn  dead?    He  dies  no  more 
So  long  as  these  shall  meet!    The  magic  wand 
Brings  the  old  master  through  the  shadowy  door, 
And  upright  in  the  midst  his  soul  doth  stand 
While  through  the  chords  his  sunny  force  doth  pour. 
— Ah,  Haydn,  has  thou  truly  ever  lived  before  i* 

O  intimate  acquaintance!    When  we  meet 

The  hearts  of  old  musicians  there  is  shown 

A  conversation  deeper  and  more  sweet 

Than  all  but  saints  or  lovers  e'er  have  known. 

Is  there  an  earthly  friendship  so  complete 

As  this  that  in  a  heaven-born  passion  hath  its  seat? 

The  gods  and  half-gods  meet  us  everywhere. 
But  are  at  home  in  music.    There  they  live 
In  privacy:  Apollo  suns  his  hair. 
And  Aphrodite  to  the  stars  doth  give 
The  more-than-mortal  eyes  that  almost  stare 
So  wide  they  are,  so  open  and  so  unaware. 

And  while  the  gods  do  strum  and  tune  a  lay 

To  please  their  godships— there  comes  creeping  in 

De  Coppet  with  his  crew  to  steal  away 

The  secret  flame.    The  trembling  violin 

Bratsche  and  cello,  which  his  pirates  play. 

Bear  the  bright  fire,— yes,  undiminished  re-convey. 


36    The  de  Coppet-Flonzaley  Supper 

We  are  those  guests  who  knew  the  joy  sincere 
Of  that  Promethean  plunder;  and  to-night 
Are  wiser  for  the  start  of  many  a  tear 
That  chased  surprised  beauty  in  her  flight, 
And  happier  for  those  hours  of  inward  cheer, 
The  thought  of  which, — dear  hosts  of  many  days, — doth 
draw  us  here." 


The  Toastmaster: 

And  now  at  the  risk  of  a  bit  of  egotism,  I  want  to  draw 
a  useful  moral  lesson  from  my  experience  this  evening. 
Don't  ever  think  that  what  appears  to  be  a  misfortune 
is  necessarily  one.  As  I  have  been  sitting  here  tonight 
and  thinking  over  those  various  experiences  with  the 
viola,  I  thought  to  myself  that  it  was  a  great  misfortune 
for  me  that  I  did  not  take  the  viola  instead  of  the 
violoncello.  Well,  if  I  had,  perhaps  I  should  not  have 
been  the  worst  quartet  player  in  New  York,  and  if  I 
were  not  the  worst  quartet  player  in  New  York,  I 
should  not  have  had  the  great  pleasure  of  presiding  on 
this  most  felicitous  occasion. 

And  now,  I  close  as  I  closed  at  the  silver  wedding  of 
the  Kneisel  Quartet  with  their  audiences.  This  is  the 
wooden,  or  tin,  wedding, — which  is  it,  Mrs.  de  Coppet.'' 
(A  voice:  "Tin.")  This  is  the  tin  wedding  of  the  Flon- 
zaleys  with  their  audiences.  I  hope  for  them,  as  I  hoped 
for  the  Kneisels,  that  we  shall  all  be  at  the  golden  wed- 
ding— and  if  we  are  not  there  in  the  flesh,  may  we  be 
there  in  the  spirit!    {Great  applause.) 


'     RETURN 
TO 


TION  DEPART 

fin-Ubror 


dueas^awBdIilow 


FORAA  NO.  DD6 


^  BERKELEY,  CA  94720  ^, 


552446 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 


